Hunters: The Vanguard of Humanity
by Walkman355
Summary: *sequel to Hunting a Dream* Miru is a recruit in The Hunters, an organization devoted to fighting Infected and Mutated Infected in the Badlands outside Boom Town. 5 years ago Ray left the city to save more people and hasn't been seen since. When Miru finds his son Daniel on her team, they make a pact to rescue their Hero and lead a trip into the Badlands;
1. Chapter 1

Recruits

Miru felt a sharp prodding in her side and she rolled over groggily to see the Witch standing over her. She jumped back in surprise and pressed herself against the wall until her vision cleared and she saw it was just Blaire. The older woman smiled at her and presented her with a tray full of scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon with a glass of orange juice.

Breakfast in bed, no doubt Tanner had made it, but Blaire was so sweet she just smiled and began to eat. Blaire had however pressed her uniform and hung it up, because although she couldn't cook to save her life she could clean and manage the house. It was just repetition anyway so once she had learned how to do it the concept was rather simple. Miru stared with pride at the black leather jacket with the patch of a sword with rays of light coming of it on the right shoulder.

Hunters; once they were monsters that prowled the night and would scoop you up and eat you. Now they were the name of an organization of humans and Outsiders, Infected who had independent thought and retained humanity, and Outsider/ human half-breeds. They ventured into the Badlands to fight Infected and Freaks, Infected who ate other Infected and mutated into monsters beyond your worst nightmares.

Come time this afternoon she would be one of them as she joined five other recruits in a training squad. They were going to be trained by the second-in-command to Captain April, Parker, who had been an asset to the cause with his fire-arms training and his skill as a Hunter-type Outsider was well known.

She slipped the jacket on over her white T-shirt and left it unbuttoned. She slipped into her jeans and boots and stood looking at herself in the mirror. Her black hair and brown eyes looked like someone had picked a crayon out of the box and colored her hair in between the lines as it was a bland solid color. She felt too normal and weird. She thought back to the day she was rescued and to the man in the hood…Ray. She undid the ponytail and brushed her bangs over one eye like his wife Becca and retied the ponytail. She smiled at herself and stood triumphantly with her hands on her hips like the old statues of warrior heroes in the history books she read.

She ran down the stairs into the living space. Tanner was in the living room sipping coffee while Blaire drank water. He rubbed the bulge in her tummy and smiled. Their first child Mindy sat at the table kicking her feet eating Lucky Charms. "Bugh boy Miru!" She said with a mouth full.

"Chew and swallow dear, then speak." Tanner spoke.

"Buh-bye Miru!" She said after swallowing. She had her mother's white hair and her father's green eyes. Miru smiled and tousled the five-year olds hair and ran out the door grabbing her mother's pistol on her way.

She arrived at the old CEDA building which had been converted to the Hunter Academy. She walked to the front desk where an old soldier sat. His nametag read Mathis. He looked up weakly at her and presented her with a roster. She signed it and he pointed to the left. "Room 6C. Go down the hall take a left; it'll be the second door on your right."

She entered the room and looked around. There were five people. The first one walked up to her, "Hello I'm Caleb, Cal for short; we heard you were our sixth member."

"Miru, I've wanted to be a Hunter since the day I joined Boom Town." She replied.

"Well it's not everything it's cracked up to be." The Commander said as he entered. Seth drew the eyes of everyone in the room. He stood tall in his white tank-top and his black cargo pants with the Hunters patch on his left leg. He had a grisly beard and hard set brown eyes. "If you are to work together you must function together. Be as one. And above all else you must fight to survive. You have all been chosen because you passed our physical and mental tests. But no one is made a Hunter overnight. You will be training with Parker in team skills and combat drills. Know your team. I will not have you dying…we do not tolerate weakness."

Parker strode in with a .50 caliber sniper rifle strapped across his back. "Sound off."

A Hunter girl with multicolored spiky saluted in a goofy fashion, "Teriyaki!"

"I didn't ask for your favorite food."

"No sir, that is my name sir!"

He sighed and rubbed his temples. "Next?"

A guy in a sleeveless flak jacket and a T-shirt with the Hunter emblem tattooed on his right arm walked up holding his LMG. "Gray Gungnir, reporting for extermination of fugly zombies."

The kid she met earlier stepped up with the uniform jacket over his blue hoodie, "Um…hey I'm Caleb, but you can call me Cal."

A guy leaning up against the wall at the back in a black hoodie with the emblem on the back nodded, "Michael."

She snapped to attention, "I'm Miru sir, and happy to be here."

The last boy walked up slowly and glared at Seth. His eyes were bright gold and he had black shaggy hair. "My name is Daniel…and my dad is Ray."

Everyone shifted uneasily but Parker and Seth stood their ground. "You are now designated Team Saber…welcome to hell for the next six months."


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the delay, I was just planning out my story then I threw that out and just write. So I got this. There will be more on the way, hopefully better than this and with luck it'll be awesome, thanks night.**

The Training

In accordance with the older traditions, the six recruits were given tutelage by someone slightly their senior. Teri, Michael, and Gray were put under the tutelage of a senior Hunter of the Smoker variety called Ty; or as he liked to be called "Ty Fighter". He wore a Star Wars T-shirt and a jacket with jeans and tennis shoes. He had rectangular glasses and short cut brown hair and a light, well-trimmed beard. He always wore a goofy smile and talked about a strange thing called cartoons. "I'm telling you guys, Tom and Jerry was my childhood. What's not appealing about a mouse smashing a cat with a hammer one hundred times his own size!?"

He lectured both teams in a calm positive manner and held positive reinforcement…their other teacher was not. Liza was ex-KGB hard-ass Witch class with a whip; she also oversaw Miru's squad of Danny and Cal. She wore the same clothes as Seth, and she was tall and intimidating. If they didn't run fast enough, she "encouraged" them to move faster. If they couldn't do 100 push-ups, she made sure they didn't stop until they could; even going as far that whenever they fell down they started again at one. By the end of the week they were not only exhausted, they were confused and disoriented. This went on for a whole month until they got into the new regimen and adapted to Ty and Liza's odd positive**/** negative energy.

The two teams came along nicely the following two months as their odd chemistry began to show itself. Teri was a bit of a spaz, always laughing and trying to crack jokes. She had a more…canine nature about her as her specific Hunter mutation had made her more feral. She would occasionally be caught growling at cats or sleeping curled up next to the heater or on a mat of blankets. Gray was the manly-man of the group, always trying to show off his physical prowess or his expert marksmanship. He had a caring side to him as well, as he didn't stop working out until his team was done, no matter how long that took. Michael was different, the very epitome of the strong silent type. He did his work and ate in silence, never complaining or slacking off. He was a bit impulsive though, as when he thought he could win a fight he would lower his guard and his attacks became more brutal.

Miru's team was different. Cal was clumsy and awkward, but when it came to firing a gun not even Gray could rival him. During target practice one day he fired five shots at the same spot and they had all fused together when the target was taken down. He melted down that lump of metal into a ring which he wore around his neck. Daniel was the exact opposite. He was edgy and offensive, he talked back and he showed a general apathy for the whole thing. He fought hard and was unmatched in combat and the exercises, but as a team player he suffered. Miru was probably the weakest link. No notable skills, weakest physically of the group, and her marksmanship with anything that wasn't a pistol lacked. She slowly began to feel like she didn't belong there, but Liza kept pushing her to do better and she did.

Liza and Ty sat in the break-room with the other captains reviewing their teams when Parker walked in to talk to them, "Are your teams combat ready?"

"Hardly sir…three months in and they haven't even taken the initiation. They still need another three months as protocol states." Liza said.

"They need more practice…my team is ready no doubt, but Miru, Danny, and Cal still need time."

"They'll have to be ready…we're out of time. Dispatch says Team Razr has been pinned down by Freaks and their losing ground fast. Other teams in the area are held up and your two teams are showing the most promise among the recruits. If Razr keeps losing ground, the Freaks will hit Wet Rock in a few hours and then they'll slaughter that town…we can't let that happen. Ready you teams for the initiation process…consider this a trial by fire."

Miru and the others were ushered into a room where Newton and Seth awaited them. "You have been selected for an early implantation process. Normally we wait a good couple of weeks after this to introduce you to your new forms, but time is not on our side. Your team will run back-up for April, Parker, and your squad leaders. Stay close and do what they say." He said looking directly at Daniel.

Newton stepped forward, "Please come and get the shots with your name on them. We have watched your performance closely and have synthesized batches just for your unique genes. Danny and Teri are excluded of course."

Michael rolled his eyes, "Is this really necessary, I mean shouldn't we know what our best suited classification is?"

"Look I understand everyone wants to be Hunter class, but the truth is that even though that strain is easier to control it and the perks are better, it is harder to bond to your genes."

"Whatever." He said as he slipped a Hunter serum syringe off the table.

Miru, Cal, Gray, and Michael all went to get their shots. Gray's transformation looked excruciatingly painful and Cal and her looked away. When it was done he was a Charger Class, and his bone and muscle density increased to make him a walking juggernaut. Cal received the Smoker Class, frog subsection, giving him the ability to jump high and shoot his tongue out. "I'd advise keeping your mouth closed for a few days until you can adjust your tongue." Newton said.

Michael received Smoker Class, snake subsection, which allowed him to spit out smoke to cover his tracks and let him move faster. Miru sat in the chair nervously and looked over at her syringe. Hunter Class. "Um, excuse me Mr. Seth…I believe there's been a mistake, you said it would only bond with those of a specific type of gene…I don't think I have it."

"Listen…I'm no scientist, but if they say you do…I'd trust them."

She felt the needle pierce her arm and then the cold liquid. At first she felt nothing, but then the fire of a thousand suns coursed through her veins as her entire genetic structure was re-written. She felt the claws extend and retract; her muscles become toned and solid, she could hear, see, and smell at a level that was uncanny. It was like waking up for the first time to a new world. She collapsed and was taken back to her bunk on a stretcher with Cal, Gray, and Michael. Later that night, Miru awoke to Teri leaning over her. "Hullo!" she said giving a small wave.

Miru sat up smiling and hugged the older girl. She was the closest thing Miru had to a best friend. The older girl smiled, "Feels good doesn't it! I noticed your scent changing and I was so happy that you became a Hunter! Well, you were already a Hunter, but now you're Hunter Class!"

"I know Teri…now I'm another step closer to being like Ray." Miru replied.

"Oh, you mean that super famous Hunter!? The one who built the city?"

"Yeah…just like him."

"Well you won't be the only one." Michael said sitting up. "Swiped a Hunter syringe before we left…let's see what this puppy does." He said as he jabbed it in his arm. They tried to stop him, but it was too late. Within seconds he was screaming and convulsing. Blood poured from his right eye and he was foaming at the mouth. Others dragged him off as Newton shouted orders. The rest of the night they sat in silence awaiting news…none came. _Welcome to the big leagues._ Miru thought as they all slept in the uncomfortable silence after that incident.


	3. Chapter 3

**Took forever, and it's not exactly where I want it but hey I liked it, and I loved the new character ideas I got from it.**

The Change

Miru couldn't sleep, not just because of Michael's strange fits before they carted him off, or the fact that tomorrow they would be finally leaving the walls and engaging the enemy, although these things would contribute. It was everything else. Everything seemed to scream at her, she didn't notice before with her human hearing, but now it was like the whole world was a rock and roll concert. The air tasted heavily of chemicals and it smelled the same. On top of that, she just couldn't sit still. She'd lie in one position, then become uncomfortable and shift again. She just couldn't sit still. She decided to stand and pace the room, and soon it caught someone's attention. She was hoping at first it was Teri, but as she turned around and saw Daniel's face her face sunk into a frown.

"What do you want?" She inquired angrily.

He reached out, and grabbed her hands pulling them up to chest level. She stopped fidgeting and zeroed in on him analyzing everything from the muscles in his face, to his heart rate, to his eyes…those golden eyes. "Calmed down?"

"Yeah…" She said dreamily.

"It can be disorienting sometimes. I've been like this my whole life, but when I was young, it was really bad sometimes…my dad always told me one thing. Hunter-class suffers from a fatal drawback as do all Outsiders. Ours is battle-sickness…consider it extreme ADHD; we can't be satisfied unless we're doing something. What you have to do is focus on one thing…center on it, and make it your focus…I focus on my eyes. I count every crack or mark in the wall to stay occupied, or I read the muscles of people as they speak…you need to do that."

"I…I'll try…"

She went back to her bed and began to count the cracks in the ceiling. At 300 she was falling asleep, and as her eyes closed she saw them in her head and she started forming patterns with them. Blair's face smiling, a moon, her mother's gun, Daniel…and she was asleep.

In the morning they gathered in the meeting room, but Michael was there as well. His right arm was a Hunter's claw, and it wouldn't stop shaking. His right eye was a sickly yellow with a slit, and he had grown a set of razor sharp teeth rather than the neat fangs other Hunter-class had. His eyes scanned the faces there with a small amount of rage. Ty walked up and smacked him over the head and he looked at him and immediately became reserved. "Okay, so dumbass over here over-dosed on serum and accelerated him mutation. We were able to contain it, but now he's a bit temperamental. He will act as the teammate you all drilled with, but he may have a tendency to…berserk. It's up to us leaders to rein that in. Don't worry, he's still the silent guy you knew and love."

Miru approached him cautiously and extended her hand for him to shake and he just looked at it, "If you're gonna be paranoid about this, you can scratch me behind the ears and we can play fetch." He said dripping sarcasm.

Miru sighed with relief, "It's him…"

"Who else would it be; my evil twin Ricardo?"

Teri bounced over to him, "Great! When can I meet your twin?"

Everyone laughed until Liza walked in. "Well I'm glad you're all in good spirits, because we're on assignment now. We'll be loading up and shipping out in fifteen minutes, grab what you need and let's go."

Michael grabbed him pistol and holstered it, grabbing a machete from the arms locker and sheathing it at his side. Gray simply picked up his LMG gave it a kiss and said, "Come on Sasha, we've got baddies to kill."

Caleb picked up a simple M4A1 and checked its ammo, making sure he had three extra magazines. Liza grabbed her whip and a SMG, while Ty grabbed a chain-scythe that was in his locker and a pistol. Teri picked up the two ASPs out of her locker and her sawn-off shotgun. Miru took her pistol and a machete like Michael, and she looked at Daniel. He simply grabbed a hunting rifle and a katana. "Let's go."

They piled into the Humvees, and started the engines driving through the streets to the praise of the crowd and various cries of "Go get 'em!"

Arriving at the gate, Liza grabbed the radio, "We're heading out, coordinates of Razr?

"Last check-in was at Wesley Chapel Cemetery."

The doors opened, and Miru saw the sign, "Now leaving. Boom Town"

The words were painted over a green sign that said "Fairfield."

They passed many broken down houses and tipped over trees, Miru saw a large group of trees to the left that was completely destroyed, "What could have done that?"

"They used to call them Tanks…there are a few of them left, but most of them evolved over time by eating lesser Infected…now we call them Drakes…and with good reason."

She shuddered, and realized she had been unconsciously been tapping her foot. "Nervous?" Cal asked.

"Yeah…"

"I think we all are."

She looked at Daniel and he gripped the katana so hard his knuckles were whiter than usual. She set her hand on his and he jumped briefly before seeing her there and calming down. Liza looked at them in the rearview mirror and they separated hands. "We don't have the luxury to be nervous, they're counting on us."

They nodded and looked up at the gunner position where Gray sat vigilantly with Sasha, and the .50 Cal. Teri sat by the window on the other side of Daniel, and rode in the front seat. As they drew closer to the site, they heard the sound of gunfire and a strange other noise. "Um…captain…what is that?"

"Shit…we've got Shrieks…Gray, call over to Michael, man the .50 Cal and stay sharp…we're gonna have problems in the sky."

"Michael! Shrieks up high!" He called out, and Michael nodded, chambering the round on the other .50 Cal on Ty's Humvee. Miru became more nervous, and at this point her foot was practically vibrating. They arrived at the cemetery and it looked like a warzone. Razr was at a house at the rear of the cemetery, so Ty went off-road to get up there and they followed. But with all the chunks of dirt missing, the tombstones riddled with bullet holes, and dead Infected lying everywhere it was hard to tell. Miru head the Shrieks shrieking as they wheeled out of the sky toward their convoy. With her heightened senses, the .50 Cal was deafening. She could hear Gray screaming over it though, "Get some!" He yelled.

The Humvee's careened up into the drive way and squealed to a halt. "FUCK YOU!" Gray and Michael screamed. The .50 Cal thundered and the Shrieks fell from the sky with a thud. Razr burst through the door. A woman at the lead, a human, and three others; A Jockey type female, a Spitter male who drank from a bottle and turned to face the house shooting a stream of fire through the doorway. The last was a Hunter class who jumped from the top floor window followed by a feral Nightstalker, a Hunter class gone rogue. It screeched and dove at the human. Liza jumped into action lashing her whip around its neck and throwing it back through the house. Ty stepped out, and motioned for the recruits to follow. Miru nodded and Daniel popped the door, all of them flooding out weapons drawn. Teri had her shotgun nocked in her shoulder scanning the area and sniffing heavily. Daniel kneeled by the door with his rifle out, and Cal stood next to him with the M4A1. The Jockey turned around, "Brandy, newbies."

The human yelled at Ty, "Ammo!"

He threw her a new magazine for her assault rifle and she reloaded faster than any Hunter Miru had seen. She wheeled around and trained the gun on the door, "Blaze, drink some more gasoline and get those Molotovs ready! Judy, load your shotgun, see if the Hunter class newbie with the crazy hair has extra shells! Cash, eyes on that door, nothing comes out!"

Miru ran over and stood beside Cash with her pistol trained on the door. He simply glanced over at her, "That's not going to do anything." As he said this, the Nightstalker came back out and tackled him at full force. Miru barely had time to react before it's claws were poised to strike. She turned and swung her machete severing it's hands and it screamed in pain. Cash head-butted it off him, and as it stumbled back, he put the barrel of his shotgun in it's mouth, "Smile, fucker!" with a bang, half of its head became splattered against the doorway. Gray jumped off the .50 Cal since the Shrieks were dead, and walked up with his LMG.

"That wasn't so bad."

The house tore apart and Infected streamed from every opening. They all steadied their guns, and it was a hail-fire of bullets and shredded flesh as the enemy was utterly obliterated. A distant roar signaled it was time to go, but it was too late. The beast charged up from the forest with it's two hulking arms and smashed through the line of Infected before grabbing Gray and lifting him through the air to smash him into the ground. Liza threw her whip around it's left wrist while Ty threw his chain-scythe around it's right wrist, pulling to keep it from smashing Gray. Daniel yelled to Miru, "It's wide open!" As he ran in with his katana and stabbed it in the chest, adding pressure to keep it steady.

"Miru!" Michael shouted as he threw his machete to her. She drew them both and jumped at the beast with a yell. Swinging both machete's at it's neck she severed it's head and the beast went slack. Gray dropped to the ground with a thud, and everyone just stared at Miru. The human woman, Brandy, smiled and patted her on the back, "For a first op and no training to adjust to your new form…you did good kid!"

They all piled into the Humvees and went back to the city. Parking at the Hunter's HQ; Seth stood there looking at them, "How was your first mission?"

Brandy smiled, "Your two new teams did good. They reminded me of when I first joined."

Seth looked at the newbies, "That's high praise…following orders helped you win the day today, but in the future things will become harder…I hope you can think on your feet. Dismissed."

They went into their barracks with a sense of pride and purpose. This was the beginning of their new lives.


	4. Chapter 4

**Well it took me forever to think of this chapter and write it, but it's here now and on top of that, it's looking good.**

Training Pt. 2

"Faster!" Liza yelled as she swung her hand towards Miru's head, knocking the girl over. "You need to be faster, you got lucky with those Infected at the Cemetery, but remember that if those things catch you without a weapon you must be able to defend yourself!" Miru panted and tried to see where the next attack would come from. She saw Liza raise her left hand and braced for the attack, only to receive a knee in her gut. She coughed and rolled over and Liza shook her head. "If you leave yourself open you will die…we'll pick it up tomorrow."

Miru hit the showers with Teri, both of them tired and sore from their advanced combat training. The warm water soothed her aches and pains and warmed her cold skin. One thing they didn't tell her about the process is how close to an Infected you were; it was like being dead in some cases. She threw on a shirt and her sweats and went to her bunk, practicing the mental exercises Daniel had shown her as well as trying a few of her own.

The next morning she rose early for a run through the city to keep up her cardio and to try out the new body she had obtained. The retractable claws made scaling buildings and maneuvering over certain surfaces easier. She arrived back at base, panting and exhausted just in time for breakfast. She sat with her teammates and enjoyed the revelry. Cal and Teri went about their usual stories and jokes, laughing and carrying on. Now that they had gone through their transformations, training was less uniform and more lax. Now they took classes on various skills needed in the field from first aid, to demolitions, to tracking. You could choose what classes you wished to take or you could seek out a senior member for private training. Miru had tried to find Parker to progress her skills as a Hunter, but instead Liza had found her and taken her on as her own "disciple". Apparently a bet was going around with the senior members as to who could raise the members of Saber to be the best won a prize. Ty had taken Cal as his apprentice, a Charger class named Boulder had begun training Gray, Teri was reporting to Brandy, and Michael was learning from a Smoker class named Shadow. Daniel had been taken under April's wing, but for different reasons than the bet. Miru wondered why, but after two bowls of cereal and a grapefruit it didn't really matter, and when Liza stormed in and locked eyes with her, Daniel's life was the last thing she was worried about.

Fast paced sparring, this time Liza upped the ante, and Miru tried to keep up. Jabs seemed to come from all sides, and her feet kept entangling Miru's. After the fifteenth time she landed flat on her ass she decided it was time to stop thinking. She took a breath and focused, her body was like a river, constantly flowing to the next point. Left, right, watch the jab to the gut, left foot back, then put it forward, make her put up her guard. Soon she had Liza on the defensive as she increased her ferocity and kept her guard up the whole time, leaving no openings. She saw an opening on Liza and went for it. A close kept jab, holding her right arm as a defense, but Liza grabbed her arm. She had switched styles, sacrificing her defense for offense, as she flipped Miru and yanked her arm back until the pain was unbearable. She tapped the mat and Liza let her go. She looked up, and Liza had broken a sweat, the older woman was panting and extended her a hand, "Good job kid…not bad…you learn quick, and that'll save your life. But you need to remember, that our there it isn't sparing…your opponent won't stop until your dead, and they'll use any means necessary. You need to know your own weaknesses before you can read the weaknesses of other. That'll be it for the day, hit the showers."

Miru nodded, panting heavily as she rose from the mat, her body a staple of weariness. It wasn't even lunch, and Miru had taken another shower and changed into a different shirt and set of sweats. She tried to just wait in her room, but with no one there it quickly became boring. She quickly began to pace back and forth before deciding on classes to look at. She went to check on Cal, and he was in the middle of a lecture on strategy and Freak anatomy. She sat for as long as she could, taking notes on the strategy bits like war tactics and maneuvers but when it came to the anatomy she couldn't sit still and quickly left. Michael was away from base with a tracking class being led by Shadow, and Gray was in the gym and Miru had decided she's sweat enough for one day. She decided on an early lunch and was surprised to find Brandy and Teri laughing it up.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe where Cash took me on our first date…so first off the Corp has a strict policy against dating with other members, but we were young and didn't care much for rules. So he takes me to a special spot outside the wall where you could see the whole city glimmering like a gem, and as we took in the sight, a Nightstalker crept up on us. So obviously he heard it and tried to play the Hero, but instead of going for me it went straight for him! I guess they still have some instinct, because I think it was trying to mate with him! He screamed for help, but I was laughing so hard I couldn't do anything. It finally noticed me and then, instead of attacking me, it just growled and began to try again with Cash!"

Teri was howling with laughter at this point and Miru was a little mortified.

"So then I finally decided to end it and killed the Nightstalker, and ever since, Cash has had a problem with Nightstalkers."

Teri had keeled over on her end of the table and Brandy took the opportunity to steal Teri's cake and begin eating it. Miru was uncomfortable and decided to leave, so she began to just wander around the base until she found her way to the roof where April and Daniel were. They were just standing around, moving very, very slowly. She decided she'd walk away, but leave it to a Captain to be much more perceptive than that. "Miru, please come join us."

She walked out and looked at the Captain, "What are you doing?"

"Taichi, Ray used to believe that for a Hunter to fight at their best, they must match their eagerness and skill in combat with a gentle heart and mind. Later in his life he traded off his machetes for dao blades…he really strived for that inner peace stuff."

Daniel spoke up, "Yeah, my dad was a bit of a kook, but taichi is more than just a relaxing method, it has combat benefits too. By learning your center of gravity and learning the flow of your opponent you can predict and counter them."

These martial arts intrigued Miru, and she joined them on the roof with their taichi lesson. It was very hard for Miru to stay calm during the whole exercise because her entire body screamed to move and to fight, but she resisted, and although her forms were shaky, they still flowed from move to move. By the time the sun set she was feeling calmer and more balanced, learning the flow of her own body had allowed her to see what Liza meant by "Knowing her own weakness." She was able to look back at her form and feel each muscle that would twitch each lapse of focus, her blind spots and her openings. She exhaled calmly and bowed with Daniel when they faced April at the end and she went with him back to their room. "So do you do that every day?"

"Well…among other martial arts, strategy, philosophy, and weapons training, yes."

"Wow…I might start training with you guys if I can finish up fast enough with Liza…that martial arts stuff is really cool…plus Liza says I need to know how to adapt and change to meet different scenarios."

"I don't know…April may have been lenient today, but she's usually really strict. I'm not sure how your teacher and mine would feel about that."

"Oh…well why don't you teach me?" She said with a smile.

"Me? Teach you?"

"Yeah, that way we could both learn new things! I'll take the rougher more Special Forces stuff Liza teaches me and teach it to you; in return you teach me the martial arts April teaches you!"

He smiled for the first time since she had met him, "Alright then…we can also practice weapons training if we have the time."

"It's a date then!" She said with another smile, before turning bright red at what she had said, "I…what I mean was…"

He just laughed and walked off to the male showers, "Take it easy Miru, I'll see you tomorrow night on the roof!"

She smiled quietly and walked back the team's room to lie down. She didn't need to run the exercises that night, sleep came easy.


End file.
